at the rate im going, my 328xi will be way over miles by lease end. so instead of spending $ on over miles at .10 per, i would rather spend that on a car. my next car is a m3 so i would want a commuter car then anyway so it makes sense for me to buy one now.

i have to eliminate the subaru. i test drove yesterday and the car is nice but the awd is something i don't need and i really don't like the cvt in the car. also the nav screen is not on par with the rest of cars on the list.

I owned a Mini Cooper S Coupe as a daily for a few months and loved it. Great on gas (at least compared to my M3) and still a very "reputable" car as people always told me I owned 2 Bimmers even though I didn't have that perception myself. It's definitely a step above your typical daily driver, not to mention so much more fun.

I actually looked at a MINI Cooper before I got my E90. Good use of space inside, great mileage, godlike handling that can compare with cars that cost much more, and in the case of the Cooper S, pretty darn fast too. For a "commuter" car, the fit and finish and materials are also very good, partly in thanks to BMW.

i would vote for Civic. The new Civic is hot and IMHO does not look cheaper than the Elantra. Elantra's free flow design is all over the board and cheap plasticy interior is nasty as shit.

If it was the mini cooper S then different story, but you can't get a nicely loaded mini for 25k. last but not least, mini is german owned but i believe the enjine is French made by PSA Peugeot CitroŽn citation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mini_(marque)